Sublime Oblivion
by Metal Pandora
Summary: Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Postgame – Shounen ai – StanAri
1. Prologue

Title: Sublime Oblivion

**Title:** Sublime Oblivion

**Author: **Metal Pandora

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Okage: Shadow King.

**Genre:** Comedy/Romance/Drama

**Rating:** T (for mild language, suggestive themes, and comic mischief.)

**Pairing:** Stan/Ari

**Summary: **Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Post-game – Shounen-ai – Stan/Ari

**Prologue**

The large house creaked eerily as it settled in the yellow moonlight. The occupants of this certain humble abode had long since tucked themselves away for the night and now slumbered peacefully. Not a soul was aware of the shadow that snaked its way along the crusty walls of brick siding. It seeped through the exterior and traveled down the carpeted floor before slithering up the wide staircase.

The second door of the left hallway was its final destination where an ordinary boy slept serenely, clutching his plain white sheets. The dark shadow lifted itself off the floor, forming a three-dimensional figure with a malevolent aura and unmistakably blonde hair.

The boy, Ari, shifted in his bed, unconsciously sensing the presence of another being in the room. The bed sunk slightly to one side as someone else's weight was added. Ari's eyes fluttered open sleepily to find familiar amber ones staring straight back at him.

"...Wha...?" Ari mumbled, finally realizing just who it was hovering over him, "S-Stan?!"

Immediately, a hand covered his mouth.

"Quiet. You want the whole house to wake?" Stan hissed.

Ari shook his head.

"Alright, then get your stuff, we're outta here." Stan stood up.

"...What?" Ari yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Come on, get up. We have worlds to conquer."

Ari just blinked wearily. This had to be a dream. Sure, when they had parted ways two weeks ago, he admitted that he missed Stan, but dreaming about him? That was completely absurd. The boy sat up in his bed, yawned again, and then looked over at the impatient blonde man next to him. It seemed so awkward to see Stan in his real form instead of the floppy, goofy shadow Ari was used to seeing.

Realizing he was staring, Ari dropped his gaze and thumbed at his bed sheets.

"...I think...I'm dreaming." He murmured; the jolt of sudden awakening catching up with him and making him incredibly tired.

Stan shot him a stern look.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is quite real. Did you honestly think I would just _let you go_ after the whole save-the-world-blah-blah-blah ordeal? I'm not the Great Evil King for nothing, you know. You're still my slave and always _will_ be!" He continued to talk, though Ari only could half of it through his hazy, sleepy stupor.

"Now is the perfect time to commandeer the planet! With that damn Beiloune and his classification system out of the way, the world is practically mine!" Stan went into one of his obligatory and outlandish spiels about world domination, raising his voice and making grand gestures with his hands.

Same ol' Stan, Ari thought. '_At this rate, he'll never shut up. Oh well, when in Rome...'_

Hopping off his bed rather gracelessly, the redheaded boy grabbed a backpack and stuffed it with assorted traveling supplies, making sure to also take the Gear Sword he'd acquired in their previous adventure. Lastly, he tucked a pillow under his arm and waddled over to where Stan still stood talking to himself.

"—and I'll be worshipped everyday and—huh?" Stan looked over, finally taking notice of the half-asleep boy next to him. Ari was still dressed in his oversized pajamas, fuzzy slippers, and rumpled rust-colored hair stuck out in weird angles from beneath the childish nightcap that adorned his head.

"...I'll be back by morning, right?" Ari yawned for the third time; "I have chores in the morning..."

Stan seemed momentarily stunned by how utterly ridiculous and hilarious Ari looked. Shaking his head, the blonde man snatched the nightcap off the boy's head and grumbled.

"Slave! Do you wish to make me a laughing stock?! Get dressed properly!" He commanded.

"..."

"Well?"

"Like, as in, _right now_?" Ari asked.

"Yes, right now! We're wasting precious conquering time!" Stan got angrier by the second.

"Oh." Ari shrugged, dropping all his gear and undressing himself. Stan opened his mouth to say something, but shut it, feeling his face get a bit hot. He watched dumbly as Ari stripped down to his skivvies uncaringly and slipped into his standard outfit, complete with his navy-colored headband.

"Better?" He asked.

Stan had turned away stubbornly at this point, hiding his lingering blush. "That'll do. Let's get going then."

They had made it halfway down the road to Madril when Ari finally became aware of his surroundings. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a dream and Stan really _had_ come back to basically kidnap him. Mother was going to kill him for leaving in the middle of the night with no explanation or even a note. Especially since he had those chores. Groaning, Ari covering his face with his hands and plopped down on the ground. Stan turned around with a confused expression.

"What is the meaning of this, Slave? We have no time to dilly-dally on the ground like that." He motioned for Ari to get back up.

"Stan..." Ari began.

"_Master_ Stan." The blonde man corrected.

"Okay, _Master_ Stan..."

"Yes, what is it?"

"It's, like, three in the morning. I don't mind helping you, you know, conquer the world and stuff, but right now, I _really_ need some more sleep." Ari whined.

"Sleep is for the weak, Slave. But I suppose if you need it so badly, we shall spend the rest of the night at the Madril Hotel." Stan complied.

Ari smiled drowsily, took out his pillow and flopped back on the dirt. Soft snores signaled he had fallen asleep before he hit the pillow.

Stan stood there speechless for a moment and then leaned over the boy with a scowl. He knew humans needed a full eight hours of sleep per day to remain fit and healthy, and that it _was_ a shock to the boy that he'd just shown up randomly at an ungodly hour of the night, but no slave of his was just going to lay in the middle of a path to sleep. Nudging Ari's side with his boot, Stan commanded the boy to wake.

"Wake up, Slave! Don't expect me to carry you all the way to Madril! Slave—!" Stan paused in mid-rant when Ari turned over and clutched his leg, mumbling half-asleep drabble.

"...Mm...yes, pancakes sound great, Mom..."

Agitated, Stan plucked the redhead from the ground, marched over to the pond, and tossed him in.

_Sploosh._

Ari surfaced immediately, gagging and gasping for air. Frantically trying to get a grasp on his surroundings, he spied Stan waiting on the shore.

"You...You tried to kill me!" He accused, flailing about in the murky water.

"Now that you're awake, we'll be moving on. Quit playing in the water and get over here, Slave!" Stan shouted, walking away.

Ari became exasperated.

"W-Wha-! Pla-playing?! Who's _playing_, you...you stupid evil king! _You're_ the one who threw me in here!" He screamed, throwing a tantrum and splashing water everywhere.

And so began another bizarre adventure with the boy and the king. Tired, frustrated, and not to mention soaking wet with pond water and mud, Ari made his way to Madril with Stan, cursing the blonde demon the entire way. Many questions remained on his mind; like, why had Stan come back? Where did Ari fit into the king's plans for world domination? What happened to the others? Would Stan pay to get Ari's clothes dry-cleaned?

The boy decided that the answers could wait until morning.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Sublime Oblivion

**Title:** Sublime Oblivion

**Author: **Metal Pandora

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Okage: Shadow King.

**Genre:** Comedy/Romance/Drama

**Rating:** T (for mild language, suggestive themes, and comic mischief.)

**Pairing:** Stan/Ari

**Summary: **Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Post-game – Shounen-ai – Stan/Ari

_**Part I: Demon Days**_

_Chapter 1_

Ari had forgotten how, but he had eventually made it to Madril and crashed for the rest of the night in their less-than-luxurious hotel. The afternoon light succeeded in rousing him from the plain white sheets he had burrowed beneath. Vaguely, Ari wondered how Madril's lower level got any sunlight at all; the smog generated by all the machines perpetually blanketed the city in a dull gray—not to mention that the upper level made for a pretty depressing ceiling.

Rolling over, Ari noticed Stan sprawled out on one of the chairs in what appeared to be an extremely uncomfortable position, but the hearty snores he emitted said otherwise. The boy couldn't help but laugh to himself.

'_Sleep is for the weak, huh?'_

However, upon seeing Stan, Ari suddenly remembered his current situation. Going on another adventure so soon was already beginning to wear him out mentally. But why had Stan come back for him? Surely, with his old form regained, he'd have more enough power to take over worlds by himself. Like Stan himself had said: Ari was just a slave; a subordinate and nothing more. What could he do to aid the evil king in his quest for supreme dominance? Maybe Stan was just lonely...?

Stan snorted and shifted in the chair, interrupting Ari's thoughts. Now, there are very few positions you can pull off in a non-reclining hotel chair, but apparently, no one told Stan. The blonde man attempted to get more comfortable, but a single false move sent him to the floor rather inelegantly. Stan awoke with a jolt, confused and sore.

Ari could no longer hold back the roar of laughter he'd tried to keep muffled. He clenched his sides and nearly rolled off his own bed.

Knowing he'd been caught in something terribly humiliating, Stan rubbed his aching back and stood up, facing away from the laughing boy.

"What kind of slave are you? Laughing at your master..." He grumbled.

"I-I'm sorry, Stan..." Ari said between his chuckles, "...it was just so...funny!"

"Hmph," Stan's face burned with embarrassment, "Whatever. Get dressed and meet me outside."

Ari had finally toned down his giggling enough to notice how scantily clad he was.

"Wha? Wait! W-where are my clothes?" He just about screeched, wrapping the sheets about him.

"They were wet, so you took them off before you fell asleep. They're probably dry by now, so calm down." Stan pointed to the dresser where Ari's clothes had been laid out.

"Oh." The boy said dumbly.

"Tch, just hurry up." Stan stomped out of the small room.

Ari leapt off the bed and grabbed his clothes. Indeed they were dry and very clean. But if he hadn't cleaned them, who did? Stan wouldn't be caught dead doing laundry or setting foot in a Laundromat, but then again, Ari wasn't awake to see him. Ari immediately pictured Stan glaring daggers at a box of detergent just for existing and then viciously assaulting a defenseless washing machine. The boy was sent into another laughing fit.

Fully dressed, the redheaded boy emerged from the Madril Hotel with a smile. He found Stan staring at the Town Hall bulletin board, reading a yellow sheet of paper. Ari wandered over curiously, noticing that the paper described a recruitment of some sorts. Stan huffed, ripped the flyer off the board and threw it into a giant gear.

"...What was that?" Ari asked, watching the flyer get torn to shreds by the machine.

"The local Hero's Club appears to be lacking in young, brain-washable sucklings. They're trying to create some sort of Hero Battalion. How utterly pitiful." Stan spat.

"An...army? Of heroes? What would they do with an army of heroes? It's not like there's anything to battle against—" The boy stopped in mid-sentence and looked at Stan, wondering if the evil king had caught the off-handed insult.

Naturally, he did and became angry.

"The Great Evil King, _moi_, of course! How moronic can you get, Slave? Not that those puny, runt heroes could even phase me, but they've obviously become paranoid and need to feel secure by setting up a Brat Brigade of Heroes." Stan explained, inflating his already-overstuffed ego.

Ari stared at him blandly.

"If you say so, Stan..." He shrugged.

"_Master_ Stan!"

"Right, right, _Master_ Stan..."

The two made their way to the elevator and ascended to the upper level. Purely by habit, Ari expected to see a familiar horned girl in a pink dress singing on the corner, but was not surprised to find it empty. Linda had left with Epros when their last adventure had ended and Ari hadn't the slightest idea where they could have gone.

Come to think of it, where _had_ everyone else gone?

Was Rosalyn still after Stan? She _was_ a Hero after all.

"...Hey, Stan..." Ari started.

Stan shot him a look and Ari sighed.

"Hey, _Master_ Stan, what ever happened to Rosalyn?"

The blonde man paused for a moment and then laughed, "Hah! It doesn't take much for a magnificent being like myself to elude that old sag-hag. Last I heard; she's still looking for me. How dense can one be? I mean, she's wandering out there, hopelessly lost in her oh-so-vain attempts to find me and here I am walking around in her regular stomping grounds!"

"...You never fixed her shadow." Ari blurted, catching Stan off-guard.

"...Wha-? Well, of course I didn't! Why should I do that cow any favors?"

"Because you promised. That doesn't make it a favor."

"Don't be ridiculous, Slave. You didn't _really_ believe I'd actually return her shadow to normal, did you? Evil Kings are not nice. That's why we're _Evil_ Kings. Besides, that shadow is a mark of my influence on her being. She should be honored." Stan explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ari didn't know what he was getting at or what he was trying to prove, but he persisted.

"Are you afraid that she might have the power to defeat you if she didn't have that parasol to hinder her?"

The twitch in Stan's face told Ari that he'd definitely struck a nerve. The blonde man was enraged at such a comment and raised a clawed hand to strike the boy. Ari cringed and raised his arms in defense, waiting for Stan's backhand.

Stan hesitated—his expression softening for only a second before returning to his normal scowl. With a 'hmph,' the man simply dropped his hand to his side and continued to the town exit. Ari cracked an eye open to find Stan leaving and quickly trotted after him, making sure to stay quiet until Stan spoke to him.

"...What a mouth you have, boy." Stan grumbled; not bothering to look at Ari, "No, I am _not_ afraid of that pig-headed woman; I just dislike her. A lot. I thought I'd made that obvious."

"So...you're amused that she's a social outcast and that it was your fault her life was ruined. Well, you _are_ evil, so I guess that makes sense." Ari said insipidly.

"Precisely."

Of all the lamest excuses Ari had ever heard, this one took the cake. Despite whatever the evil king said, actions spoke louder than words and Ari could read Stan like an open Hooked-on-Phonics book with absurdly large font. Though, he was still a pretty complex guy. Stan kept his pride on such a high pedestal that it was difficult for him to display any other emotions besides anger and arrogance. Judging from Stan's harsh reaction to Ari's question, the answer was definitely a yes. He was afraid of Rosalyn now that she carried with her the power of the Great Hero.

Not that Ari could blame him or anything; Rosalyn was a pretty scary person most of the time. But that didn't mean she deserved such a tormented life.

At any rate, the topic was definitely taboo for now, so Ari decided to drop it and change the subject.

"Um, so where are we going exactly?" He inquired innocently enough.

"To the ends of the world and beyond. Since the classification system was permanently shut down, the world as you knew it came to be just a small chip out of the real deal." Stan spoke with a renewed vigor.

"Explore before you conquer, huh?"

Stan said nothing, but the silence spoke for itself. The Rumille Plains were quiet today; almost unnervingly so. As they crossed the bridge, Ari glanced to his left and saw the entrance of what used to be the Escapeless Abyss. Someone had wisely sealed the place off with a large boulder to prevent any traveler from wandering to their doom. Forgetting to watch where he was going, Ari ran straight into Stan's back and fell over. The blonde man had, for some reason, stopped in the middle of the path.

"Huh—what are you doing?" Ari pulled himself up and dusted his behind off.

In front of Stan floated two angry ghosts. Fumbling for his sword, Ari readied himself for battle, but Stan simply raised a hand and with some unseen force, blasted the two ghosts to disintegration. Ari looked on with open-mouthed astonishment.

Stan turned around with a victorious grin.

"Impressive, ne? How's _that_ for a miniscule sampling of your Master's power?" Stan said proudly.

"...Wow," Ari nodded, "They didn't even have time to transform..."

Stan swelled with pride, wondering why he felt such a need to impress his slave.

'_Hn, well, he _has_ been a bit cheeky so far. It's about time he learns who holds the leash here.'_ Stan thought, suddenly blushing at the kinky thought of Ari on a leash. He quickly shook his head to clear the thoughts.

"...Right then. Let's continue." He announced, continuing down the long road to Transverse tunnel. Ari hurried after him, yelling at him to wait up. Stan decided to entertain the leash idea a bit while Ari wasn't looking.

As always, Pospos Snowfield was a frosty white wonderland as far as the eye could see. Ari shuddered and rubbed his arms, hoping the friction would heat him up a little. He suddenly remembered how much it had sucked to cross the vast land of snow during his previous adventure.

'_I knew I should have packed a sweater...'_ Ari mentally scolded himself. Looking to his left, he spied the steaming hot springs and the small inn beside them. He simply ached to soak in the inviting warmth of the water but knew Stan would probably want to continue their journey.

"The springs look rather welcoming, don't they, Slave?" Stan commented randomly.

Ari turned to the blonde man, giving him a pleading stare. Stan laughed slightly and nodded. Grinning, Ari dashed into the inn with Stan not far behind.

Seemingly, the inn was devoid of life. The old man who usually ran it was nowhere to be found.

"Eerie..." Ari muttered to himself, slightly unnerved by the overall quietness of the place. Cautiously, he began ascending the rickety wooden staircase in search of towels.

Stan stood at the landing of the stairs, facing away from them. A large bookcase towered over him, fully stocked with books on relaxation, meditation, how to relieve stress therapeutically, and other such material. Stan picked out a book covered in an attractive shade of dark red and studied the cover. He was slightly shocked at the title.

"'_The Kama Sutra_?' What in the hell was that perverted old man doing with _this_?" The blonde demon blushed and gingerly opened the book to a random page.

"Hey! I found the towels!" Ari's sudden shout caused Stan to just about scream in surprise and snap the book closed.

"Wha!—yeahokaygreatwhatever!" He said quickly, hiding the book behind his back.

"...What's wrong, Stan? Your face is really red. Is the Almighty Evil King catching a cold?" Ari laughed and threw two fluffy white towels at the jittery evil king.

"Of course not, you prying slave!" Stan was at a loss for good comebacks—how unlike him.

Steam rose from the hot springs, wafting in the frosty air like a shapeless dancer. Ari sighed happily as he sank into the water, creating little bubbles with his mouth. It felt so nice after last night's events. Ari hated losing sleep and was still mad at Stan for deciding that it was imperative to take him on an adventure at three in the morning and then toss him into a lake. What kind of guy does that? Why was Stan so weird?

'_Stan is Stan, I guess...'_ Ari thought, sparing a glance at the blonde demon. He almost snorted spring water at what he saw.

Stan stood on the edge of the springs, barefoot in the snow, practically mummified in towels. He didn't look very happy.

"Stan...what are you doing? Aren't you going to get in?" Ari asked, stifling a laugh.

"...No." The man answered simply.

"Why not? You look ridiculous."

"Shut up! I just...don't want to."

Stan was never in a gajillion years going to admit in front of his slave that he had just remembered he hated being in the water. Not that he couldn't swim, he just really hated water. It made him feel somehow powerless.

"Come on, Stan, you'll freeze if you just stand there!" Ari persisted.

"I have towels." Stan growled.

'_Uh oh, he's getting defensive. He must hate water or something.'_ Sometimes, it was scary how well Ari could read Stan.

The redhead wadded over to the stubborn evil king and tugged on one of his many towels.

"So now you're a towel rack? How convenient; I'll just help myself." Ari began plucking the towels off one by one while Stan yelled and tried to grab them back. The both tugged back and forth over the towels until Ari whipped his head to the side with a wide-eyed expression.

"Holy crap, what the hell is that?!" He screamed. Stan turned his head to look but realized his mistake too late. Ari grinned while the evil king was distracted and pulled him into the spring. Stan toppled over, falling face-first, belly-flop style, into the steaming liquid.

"GAH!" The demon emerged, gasping for air, "You wretched, horrible slave! How dare you! You'll pay dearly! You'll soon feel my wrath!"

Ari stared as Stan thrashed about, as if trying to part the spring like the waters of Moses just to get it off him. The boy sat down calmly and waited for Stan to finish his tantrum.

Stan slapped the water a few more times in vain before grasping the fact that it wasn't going anywhere and his fit was just making him look like a moron. He turned to look at Ari out of the corner of his eye. The boy slowly grinned.

"..."

"..."

"...That was perfectly evil, you know."

"I know."

Stan 'hmph'd' and sat down next to Ari with a shiver; mostly from the cold, but partly from being in the water. He just...didn't like it.

"See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Ari shrugged, smiling in victory. After all, this was payback for throwing him into a freezing cold lake.

Stan placed a clawed hand over the boy's head and promptly shoved him under.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Sublime Oblivion

**Title:** Sublime Oblivion

**Author: **Metal Pandora

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Okage: Shadow King.

**Genre:** Comedy/Romance/Drama

**Rating:** T (for mild language, suggestive themes, and comic mischief.)

**Pairing:** Stan/Ari

**Summary: **Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Post-game – Shounen-ai – Stan/Ari

_**Part I: Demon Days**_

_Chapter 2_

The stay at the hot spring was far shorter than Ari would have liked, but Stan had _demanded_ they leave and Ari wasn't in the mood to argue. Stan was very dangerous when he was moody. Besides, discovering the evil king's secret fear of water was enough to satisfy Ari for a while.

"Do you think the old man would mind if I borrowed this?" Ari asked, pointing to a fur-lined parka hanging on a coat rack.

"Do you really have to ask? Before you ask dumb questions, think: 'What would the Great Evil King Stan do?' and the answer should be clear enough," Stan preached, grabbing a scarf off the small coffee table in the middle of the room, "I take what I want with no intention of giving it back. Such is the way of the Evil King."

Ari sighed and rolled his eyes. What a bad influence Stan was. He'd make such a horrible teacher. Ari had to stifle a chuckle at the idea of Stan becoming a school teacher. It was just as ludicrous as Stan doing his laundry. The red-haired boy pulled on the warm parka and followed Stan out the door, into the powdery snow. Pospos Snowfield was actually very pretty and quite peaceful with its ever-extending blanket of glistening white snow. If it weren't for the cold, Ari might have liked to go there more often.

Beyond the blowing snow, the gate of Triste was nearing as the two walked down the barely-visible path. Ari noticed a familiar structure directly to the left of the huge metal gates.

'_The stone circle...? It doesn't seem to be functional...'_ The boy noticed the stone circle was not emitting its usual mysterious aura.

"Hey, St—Master Stan, what's up with the stone circle?" He turned to the demon.

Stan looked over at the dormant circle and scratched at his chin.

"Hm...they all fizzled out after the classification system was destroyed. I'm not completely sure why though. There are only two left in the area that work." Stan answered.

"Only two?"

"Yeah, the one that leads to the Highlands and the one beyond that."

"Wait—beyond that?" For some reason or another, it was difficult for Ari to think back to the lands past the Highlands. Was there another stone circle? "You mean...the broken chunks of rock between the Highlands and the World Library? I didn't know that was a stone circle..."

"Yes. That was once and is now the gateway to the rest of the world. The world _I_ plan to conquer." The blonde man pulled open the massive metal gates of Triste effortlessly.

The town looked exactly as it did last time Ari had visited, but with one major exception; there were people out and about. It was just a normal town now, instead of a home for the overshadowed. A few of the townsfolk spared the two newcomers a glance, but nothing more. It was then that Ari realized that he'd never actually met these people; even after all the time he spent here. Most of them had always kept themselves shut in their houses.

"Hm, with people filling the streets, it could almost pass as a completely different town." Ari randomly speculated. The truth was that he didn't really like this town at all. The all-too-recent memories it brought back were not anything Ari cared to keep. Before the evil king had commandeered his shadow, Ari was used to solitude and the cold shoulder of those who would ignore him; but on that day Stan and the others had suddenly disappeared from his world—or rather he from theirs—he'd never felt such emptiness; a meaningless existence. Without his friends there to acknowledge him, he felt dead. What was it to live if no one cared that you did? It was an awful feeling that chilled Ari to the bone. He never wanted to experience such a thing again.

"Eh? Slave...? What are you doing...?" Stan's voice was just enough to startle Ari from his unpleasant thoughts. What was he doing? Well, he was unconsciously clinging to Stan's left arm, that's what he was doing. Oddly enough, Stan didn't seem too upset that his precious personal space had been invaded.

The glances from the townsfolk were turning into stares. Flustered, Ari let go; turning his head slightly so Stan wouldn't see his rising blush. That was seriously embarrassing.

"Uh...sorry. I didn't...um...mean to." Ari muttered, slightly ashamed. Stan simply raised an eyebrow. 'Sorry'? For what, Stan wondered. Shrugging it off, the two continued into the town.

Though he still hated it, Ari noticed that the town seemed a lot lighter and visually, it seemed to be a now pleasant place to live. Well, without someone to classify Triste as a home for the forgotten, why wouldn't it be? It was just hard to think of it as a normal town, especially for Ari. They were heading toward the back of the town—to the entrance of the Addashi Desert. Ari paused in front of a particular house and stared up at the second story window placed directly above the foundation's steps and front door. Only a few weeks ago, this house was the cage that had kept Marlene's true self trapped and hidden from her father. As such, Ari's whole world suffered for it.

"It's a house, not a traveling circus, Slave, so quit staring at it and get moving." Stan ordered impatiently as he rounded the corner, leaving Ari to fall behind. The boy dutifully followed, shaking his head at his thoughts. Why did it all seem so long ago?

"...Hey Stan...?" Ari looked up at the blonde demon once he caught up.

"Hm." Stan acknowledged, missing the fact Ari forgot to add his 'Master' title.

"You remember Marlene, right?"

"Unfortunately."

"She came back after you guys all left."

The evil king didn't act surprised at all. Ari continued.

"When we met her, she was just a doll, but the real Marlene could only see through the eyes of that doll. It was her only link to the outside world. Her true self was trapped in Triste. She told me she wanted to fade away from the world her father created for her. It wasn't what she wanted."

Stan still said nothing.

"But...a few days ago, she disappeared again. All she left was a note that said she wanted to find herself. I still don't understand what she means by it. I thought that _was_ her true self." Ari took a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. On it was Marlene's handwriting.

"Are you worried about her?" Stan asked.

Ari didn't expect such a question for him.

"I...uh...I guess. Well, I don't want her to get hurt or anything...I think I'm just baffled over the whole thing. Find herself? I thought-"

"She's been living in a world created for her and played the role of a princess. That world is gone and roles no longer exist, Slave. Think about it. Who is she now? Now that her world is gone, her father vanished, and her identity shattered."

Suddenly, Marlene's note made perfect sense. She had gone to explore the new world. The one she'd never known. Ari glanced back up at Stan; bewildered by the man's random bursts of intellect and possible compassion. Perhaps Stan had begun to sympathize with Marlene after they'd all discovered her soul and true self was trapped and lost in the world. After all, Stan knew what it was to be lonely for an unbearable amount of time, unable to do anything about it...

"...So, do you think there's a chance we'll be able to find her?" Ari stared off into the desert.

"Who knows? Probably not. The world is way bigger than you can ever imagine. Who cares about that little brat anyway?" Stan snorted.

Ari rolled his eyes. Stan always got defensive whenever he realized that he might have been showing concern or any emotion other than haughtiness.

The desert ruins lay in front of them, dusty and barren as always. If it was one thing Ari hated in their travels, it was trying to navigate that atrociously confusing monstrosity of a maze. Why did ancient civilizations feel the need to make structures like these and _not _leave a map? Really, what purpose could they have served? The probably all died out when they got lost in their own home and starved to death.

'_Or burned alive in this ungodly heat!'_ Ari wheezed, fanning himself.

"Man, I hate this place! There's nothing worse than dry heat! And there are already dunes of sand in my shoes..." He plucked off his shoe and returned the sand in it to the ground.

"Quit your whining, Slave! We're nearly to our destination; beyond these ruins is Gear Tower, which holds one of the last remaining stone circles. Let's get moving." Stan proceeded into the crumbling maze.

"Wait, I don't remember how to navigate though this!" Ari shouted after him.

Stan laughed, "Navigate? Tell me, Slave, how old do you think these ruins are?"

"Uh..." Ari had no clue, so he took a random guess, "...100 years old?"

At this, Stan laughed again. Ari blushed. How was he supposed to know anyway?

"These ruins are older than dirt, Slave. They were here long before even me." The blonde man said matter-of-factly.

Ari chuckled, "Guess that makes _you_ as old asdirt, huh?"

"Watch your tongue, idiot slave." Stan was obviously becoming more lenient to Ari's off-handed insults. "Anyway, as for your silly navigation..."

Lifting a metal-endowed boot, Stan gave a swift, yet powerful kick to one of the nearby walls. Almost instantly, the wall crumbled down and crashed in a cloud of brick dust and sand.

"...It's obsolete."

Ari's face resembled that of a fish out of water for a few moments before twisting into anger.

"Wait a second! You mean to tell me that the whole time through our last excruciating trek across the desert; you knew these walls were breakable?! Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?"

"Sorta." Stan grinned slyly.

Apparently, one of the requirements of being an evil king was to first become a complete ass.

Ari huffed, knowing it was useless to pursue the issue further and simply followed Stan through the ruins as the demon beat down the walls, leaving a wake of destruction in his path. Well, so much for preserving the historical value. Though Ari doubted anyone cared anyway. Once Stan had cleared a complete path through the ruins, the two made their way towards the Gear Tower that still remained looming in the distance. According to Stan, the stone circle within it flared up once the others died out, leaving it as the only remaining link to the Highlands and the rest of the world for that matter.

Spacing out again, Ari didn't notice the rock lying in his path and tripped on it, falling face first into the blistering sand. Spitting out the grit in his mouth, Ari wiped the rest of his face on his sleeve and attempted to stand back up. However, a screeching sound from above caused him to fall back down again. Turning to face the source of the sound, Ari came face to face with an enormous condor. It glared at Ari like it would its next meal.

With a yelp, Ari fumbled for his sword, dropping it a few times. This gave the condor plenty of time to raise its mighty beak and take a slash at the unguarded boy. Ari instinctively stopped scrambling for his sword and raised his arms defensively.

When nothing happened, Ari opened his eyes to see Stan hovering over him like a living shield.

"S-Stan?" Ari managed to squeak.

"...You are so helpless, Slave. What happened to your fighting abilities?" Stan lectured. Ari looked embarrassed.

Ignoring the boy's blush, Stan turned around and knocked the condor into next Tuesday in the same fashion he used to kick down the ruin walls. This gave Ari a full view of Stan's back, which now had a long, bleeding laceration across it where he had taken the condor's strike for him. Great, now he felt guilty.

Having taken care of the condor, Stan continued on his path to Gear Tower. Ari grabbed onto his arm, halting the man.

"You're bleeding." Ari said simply.

"So?" Stan replied.

Ari got a bit flustered again.

"So...let me help. I feel responsible for it somehow..."

"Hah, like a little wound would cause me trouble. Forget about it and concentrate on what you're doing. No slave of mine will be as so pathetic that he cannot protect himself." Stan was so stubborn.

But Ari could be just as so.

"No, Stan. Once we get into the tower, I'm patching that up. End of story." Ari said boldly.

Stan was a bit caught off guard by this. Had Ari really just looked his master in the face and told him 'no?' It was odd, but Stan kind of wanted Ari to patch him up. He would let the boy have this argument, but he sure as hell wasn't going to get all gushy over it.

"Tch. Fine. Do whatever." Stan huffed and persisted toward the tower. Ari beamed and followed him.

...

Gear Tower was still as odd looking as ever on the inside; green and lush with plants that grew over some peculiar-looking mechanical devices. In the middle of the small area was the glowing purple aura of the stone circle. This aura always made Ari feel uneasy for some reason, but he didn't think to deep on it.

The redhead sat down on the grass in the corner and waited for Stan, who reluctantly sat next to him. Ari wordlessly told Stan to remove his jacket so he could see the wound properly. Stan did so as the boy took out a small box of medical supplies.

"I'm going to clean it first, okay?" Ari said softly.

Stan shrugged.

Taking out a cloth, Ari soaked it with antiseptic. "This may sting."

"Hn."

Swiping the cloth over Stan's wound, Ari waited for a reaction. Aside from a twitch, Stan did nothing. The man's endurance to pain must have been extremely high; pure iodine on a fresh, open wound was _not_ the most pleasing feeling. Shaking his head, Ari continued until the wound was free of sand and dirt, applying an herbal antibiotic cream afterwards. Next, Ari took out gauze and a large, rolled-up cloth bandage and covered the wound as the last step.

"Ok, that should do it," Ari glanced over at Stan's jacket, "Except now there's a big tear in your jacket."

The boy picked up the garment and studied it. The rip was no big deal and Stan could care less about it, but Ari dug in his supplies for something else.

"What are you doing now, Slave? We need to get moving." The blonde man complained, turning around.

Ari knew it was completely unnecessary to stitch Stan's jacket up, but he knew it would bug him later to see the rip. So, ignoring Stan, Ari found the needle and thread and began to sew up the torn fabric.

"Slave! We have no time to sit here and sew!" The evil king stood up.

Ari sighed and just continued to sew.

"Is it really that bad; just sitting here with me?" He asked, not looking up.

"What are you babbling about?" Stan crossed his arms.

"You always seem like you're in such a hurry. I don't think our destination is going anywhere. Can't we just sit down and rest for a bit? Together?" Ari barley managed to squeak out the last part.

"..." Ari was the only one who'd ever made Stan actually feel _bad_ about his actions. Such influence this boy had. Defeated, Stan sat back down next to the boy with a sigh and relaxed. He lay back in the grass; his hands behind his head. Ari smiled.

"Just don't take forever, Ari." Stan said finally, for once calling the boy by his real name.

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 3

Title: Sublime Oblivion

**Title:** Sublime Oblivion

**Author: **Metal Pandora

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Okage: Shadow King.

**Genre:** Comedy/Romance/Drama

**Rating:** T (for mild language, suggestive themes, and comic mischief.)

**Pairing:** Stan/Ari

**Summary: **Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Post-game – Shounen-ai – Stan/Ari

_**Part I: Demon Days**_

_Chapter 3_

Sewing was never Ari's strong point, but his mother had insisted he learn how because, according to her; girls like a man that can sew. Not that girls ever noticed him in the first place; except, of course, for Marlene, but she had disappeared again. There was no thimble in the small sewing kit; an unfortunate thing for the clumsy boy who had now managed to prick his finger more times than he could keep track of. At least Stan's jacket was now mended.

Ari set the jacket beside him and turned toward Stan, who appeared to be sleeping. Rarely was there ever such peace between them. Leaning over the blonde man slightly, Ari realized he'd never actually gotten a real good look at Stan in his humanoid form due to the fact that the man was always on the move, barking orders and finding any opportunity to display the power he so often bragged about.

Stan was actually very handsome. At least, from Ari's perspective. The boy remembered all the times Stan talked about regaining his 'terrifying true form,' but the truth was that he wasn't all that terrifying. Aside from the pointed ears, Stan just looked like some weird guy with a really bizarre fashion sense. Not that Ari would _ever_ tell him that. What Ari also would not tell him was that he had been checking him out.

The tips of Ari's ears were growing more red by the second.

'_...He's really nicely built...'_ Ari gulped, reaching out a hand to barely touch the blonde man's darkly tanned stomach and letting his eyes drift back up to his face. _'I wonder if he's really asleep...'_

The sudden sound Stan made in the back of his throat startled Ari for a moment; it was like a mix between a growl and a purr and judging from the satiated smirk on Stan's face, Ari wasn't in any imminent danger. Though, after he had gotten over his initial shock, Ari was absolutely intrigued that Stan would make such a sound even in his sleep. Maybe the evil king _liked_ having his tummy rubbed.

For some reason, this silly thought gave Ari a burst of courage, or maybe a death wish; whichever way you looked at it. He put a bit more pressure in his touch and moved his way up Stan's torso, searching for sensitive spots. He was delighted to hear that sound again, accompanied by a twitch and followed by what sounded like a giggle.

'_This is priceless,'_ Ari thought, chuckling to himself,_ 'Stan would kill me if he found out though...'_

Then, without warning, Stan sat up and tackled Ari, pinning him to the ground. He had a wild look in his eyes that quickly turned to confusion.

"...Slave?" He asked, sounding like he had no idea what he was doing.

Ari was pale as a sheet and just about catatonic with shock. He though for sure Stan was going to dismember him.

Stan didn't understand the look on Ari's face, nor did he know what had happened, so he became uncharacteristically concerned. "What is it? What happened, Slave?"

Miraculously, Ari found his voice and replied in a quivering, quiet tone, "W-w-wha-I-um-ah...N-n-nothing...!" Color returned to the poor boy's face in several different shades of red due to the compromised position he was in.

"Your face keeps changing colors. Are you sick or something?" Stan leaned in closer to examine the boy.

"S-S-Stan...please...move..." Ari squeaked. He couldn't understand why his stomach felt like it held a thousand fluttering butterflies; all he knew was that it had to stop before it got worse.

Becoming aware of his personal space, Stan shrugged and removed himself from the shaken boy and picked up his jacket. He studied the sewn patch and smirked slightly.

"Quite the little seamstress, eh?" He laughed.

Ari proceeded to blush further. He swore that Stan got off on embarrassing him.

Stan slipped his jacket back on and moved toward the illuminated stone circle, glancing at Ari.

"Hurry up now." He held an outstretched hand to the boy.

But Ari froze. The image of the blonde man standing amid the eerie purple aura with an inviting hand pointed at him seemed symbolic in some way; as if in taking Stan's hand, there would be no turning back. Rather than becoming afraid, Ari began to feel excited; anxious to venture off forever with Stan. That was more like a romantic fantasy than anything, but fantasy or not, this was what Ari wanted. He'd never felt more sure about anything in his life and the feeling was _exhilarating_.

Only after his momentary hesitation did Ari enthusiastically run forward to grasp Stan's hand. His world went white and his body felt weightless as it was carried off at light speed to their next destination.

-

After the extermination of the Vampire Evil King and Beiloune, the Highlands, much like Triste, came to life with people. To accommodate all of these new residents, the small village had expanded to create more houses and shops. Ari was eager to explore the renovated Highlands, but was quickly pulled behind a tree.

"Huh? Stan, what's the big idea?" He asked in an agitated tone.

"Shh! Quiet, Slave!" Stan harshly placed a hand over the boy's mouth and peered around the tree. Ari immediately stopped struggling and followed Stan's gaze.

There appeared to be some sort of assembly on the grassy plateau of land across from them. Someone with a parasol was up in front of the gathering, pacing back and forth and making lots of hand motions as if giving a vigorous speech.

'_Wait...a parasol?'_ Ari squinted, trying to identify the person. Sure enough, it was none other than Rosalyn up there, preaching whatever to a group of Highland heroes.

"We'll sneak in closer to hear what she's saying. I'm sure she's out to disrupt my plans...again." Stan grumbled, irritated. Ari nodded and followed the man silently.

"...So I say to you, my fellow heroes and fellow human beings: are you going to let evil crush you? Your home? Your family?" Rosalyn yelled out. The crowd replied with a roar of 'no!'

Stan and Ari ducked behind a conveniently placed bush.

"Of course you aren't! This is why we must stand up and defend what rightfully belongs to us! We must chase out the demons and their evils the want to inflict on us! Come together, heroes; only in the power of camaraderie can we overcome and vanquish!" The parasol-wielding hero continued to spout over the cheers of the crowd.

Stan tried to laugh, but it just sounded more like a snarl.

"So _she's_ the airhead trying to form that army. What a bloated idiot!"

Ari knew this definitely ruffled Stan's feathers a lot more than it did before he knew Rosalyn was leading that potential army.

"Are you ready to fight for justice? Are you willing to endure the most unbearable conditions for those you love? Can you bear to suffer in unimaginable ways for your freedom? Will you _die_ for what is right? Who's with me?" Rosalyn threw a fist in the air and paused as the crowd went dead-silent. Someone coughed.

"...Don't all jump up at once." She sighed, dropping her hand and looking a bit deflated.

"Hah! What cowards." Stan smirked triumphantly, still remaining quiet enough to stay concealed.

A meek voice piped up from the mass of heroes, "Um...just what _is_ this force of evil, anyway?"

Rosalyn sucked in a breath and bit her lip; how was one to describe Stan? A tall man with pointy ears and a questionable fashion sense? They'd never buy it. "Uh...well, he's a demon...with frightening powers beyond your most hellish nightmares!"

They stared silently back at her.

"Ha ha, truly frightening indeed." Stan fed his ego.

"He's not very smart, but he's impulsive and he'll destroy everything dear to you without a second thought!" Rosalyn continued, her voice growing in crescendo as her vigor renewed.

"Hey...!"

"He's hideous and awful to look at! He'll eat your children and stomp your house to the ground!!"

"Wha—hey!!"

"He's the slimiest of creatures with a rotten disposition! He'll make your skin crawl and bile rise up your throat!" 

"What the hell? I'll kill—"

"And he has the worst taste in fashion you'll ever know!"

"YOU DAMN BLOATED BOAR-WOMAN!" Stan jumped out of the bushes screaming and pointing, "Like that tacky parasol of yours is totally making a freaking fashion statement!!"

Ari shrunk down and covered his face; this was going to end very badly.

"Stanley?! What the hell are you doing here, you idiot demon!" Rosalyn was so surprised, she barely had time to form an adequate retort.

"Take back what you said about my style, you fat piggy-hero! You're going to regret saying such things about the greatest Evil King to ever grace this miserable planet!" Stan had begun to march toward the elevated platform on which the pink hero stood. As he went, the flabbergasted crowd parted like the red sea, not wanting any part of Stan's wrath.

"Stay back!" Rosalyn drew her rapier and prepared to fight the raging evil king head on. Standing up, Ari couldn't believe the scene unfolding before him. Talk about deja-freaking-vu. If this continued, there wouldn't be anywhere safe to hide, so the boy took it upon himself to do something about it.

Leaping onto the stage-like platform-turned-battle-ring, Stan stood facing the poised hero. For a moment, the tension was thick enough to slice with a plastic butter knife. Or a rapier. Which it was once Rosalyn took the first initiative to lunge at Stan; aiming for his throat. Without missing a beat, Stan swerved out of the way and ducked down, swinging his knee into Rosalyn, using her own momentum against her. Her movements were just as precise as Stan's however, and recovered just as soon as she'd faltered.

Seeing the hero unfazed put Stan off a bit, leaving his guard dropped if only momentarily. Rosalyn struck again; closer this time. They met strike for strike; attack for counter attack. Ari, at this time, was attempting to fight his way through the mass that'd merged back together to witness the heated battle. Upon reaching the front, he climbed onto the platform, walking straight into the middle of the feuding rivals; he really didn't have a death wish, but this was the only way to stop them.

He could remember back when he'd first started fighting wild monsters; one in particular—a bull—stuck out in his mind. Oh, how he dreaded fighting those. A charging bull in not something one should take lightly unless one _likes_ being impaled through the stomach and then tossed seven feet in the air. To Ari, a charging hero was no different than that bull. And Rosalyn was coming at him at full speed.

Of course, since Ari insisted on showing off his intelligence by unexpectedly walking into the middle of a fight, Rosalyn; horrified; couldn't stop in time and watched in slow motion as her rapier tore through the back of Ari's right shoulder.

Everything stopped at that point. Ari looked down, taking a moment to register the image of a bloody sword tip sticking out of his shoulder. The hero's mouth hung open wordlessly as she could not will herself to comprehensive thought.

Stan was the first to move, grabbing the boy and yanking him off the sword, wincing at Ari's scream. He crumpled pitifully into the evil king's arms, writhing with pain.

"You idiot slave! What the hell were you thinking? Walking into a battle like that! I was hoping you had more brains than that!" Stan lifted the whimpering boy and started off toward the inn.

Rosalyn snapped out of her trance and turned around, "Wha-!"

"Shut up, ugly hero! This is more important than you and your lard face!" Stan snapped.

She hadn't even noticed the half-hearted insults; too busy with the shock of stabbing her friend and seeing the disturbingly out-of-character concern about him from Stan. What had just happened?!

She looked at the equally shocked crowd, muttered a pointless 'sorry,' and ran off after Stan and Ari.

-

The evil king couldn't help but feel that the horrified look on Ari's face would haunt him forever. But what _was_ he thinking when he walked in like that?

"I demand a room! NOW!" Stan burst through the inn's front door like a madman. The startled innkeeper dropped the book he'd been reading and fumbled for some keys while making sure his glasses didn't slip off.

"H-h-h-here you go, sir!!" He placed them on the desk and backed away slightly from Stan's intimidating, approaching figure. The demon king grabbed the ring of keys and marched off.

Taking the first room he saw, Stan nearly broke the door off its hinges in the force he used to open it. First stop was the bathroom; Stan carefully removed Ari's vest and shirt, setting them aside and out of the way. He instructed the boy to stay still as his wound was washed thoroughly. Of course, that was a lot more difficult said than done. Ari flinched and whimpered at each touch.

"Well, that's what you get for such a moronically rash action, Ari." Stan continued his ministrations. Like the demon king had any room to lecture about rash actions.

Ari was once again surprised to hear his name from Stan's mouth, but was a little too busy with the pain that resonated through his shoulder.

"Ari?" A familiar voice was heard from outside the small bathroom.

"Haven't you done enough damage for one day, ms. Self-proclaimed 'Hero'?" Stan's voice became exceptionally bitter upon the word 'hero.'

Rosalyn stood in the doorway with a defeated expression; she looked like she was on the brink of tears. Biting her bottom lip, she swallowed dryly and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Stanley. I'm not going to fight with you right now. Ari is my friend and I have the right to be concerned." She walked into the bathroom, causing Stan to growl in defense.

"Stan…" Ari started, "…please let her be."

"Thank you, Ari. I-I'm so sorry. You know I never meant for this to happen-"

"It's okay, Ros. Really," The redhead winced at Stan's ministrations; "I'd rather deal with this than watch you two rip each other apart."

It was as Ari said—Rosalyn knew how much it could hurt watching two friends battle one another. Her face burned with shame at the thought of causing Ari so much trouble, even if it was the Great Hero's fate she could not escape. Opening a small pack strapped to her side, she pulled out a small vial and a roll of gauze.

"Here, Ari. Drink this. It will dull the pain." She handed the vial to the boy who took it gratefully. Stan stared at the liquid inside with an unreadable expression. Wordlessly, Stan snatched the gauze from the hero and began to dress Ari's now clean wound.

"S-Stan, not so hard, please…" Ari cringed. The man was agitated and had lost his once gentle touch. He said nothing, but lightened up.

The trio sat in silence as Stan bandaged Ari. The boy's eyelids began to droop and the pain was dying down. He guessed that whatever Rosalyn had given him had contained a sedative; which was fine with him if it made the pain stop. As soon as Stan had finished, Ari submitted to sleep, practically falling into the man's arms.

"…What did you give him?" Stan growled dangerously at Rosalyn, who immediately took offense to Stan's accusing behavior.

"It's a recovery accelerant. It works while he sleeps. You honestly think I would _poison_ him, Stanley?" She spat, standing her ground.

"He may be your friend, but he's _my_ slave and on _my_ side. Isn't that reason enough, Hero?" The blond demon stood, carrying Ari to the bed.

"Ari is _not_ my enemy…no matter what side he's on. I won't let you manipulate him."

"Oh? Well, then you'll be glad to know that he joined me of his own free will. You should have seen the excitement in his eyes when he took my hand."

"You really think I believe that? Ari's not like you, Stan. He has a conscious." 

"Ouch, I'm hurt. But you don't have to take my word for it; just wait until he wakes up and we'll see where his loyalties lie. Now why don't you make yourself scarce, Hero? You have some underlings to attend to."

Rosalyn clenched her fists, itching to slice Stan to ribbons where he stood. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she knew he was telling the truth about Ari. The boy was never one to stand out or jump into things, but there was something about his strange relationship with Stan that brought out a side Rosalyn had rarely seen.

"Hero."

Rosalyn looked over to Stan, whom now had his back turned.

"Get out."

"…I'll be back, Demon."

Without another word, the hero turned on her heel and retreated out the door, shutting it behind her. She did not fail to notice Stan's lack of childish name-calling during their exchange.

**To Be Continued...**

_**A/N:**__ What happened to me? College happened to me. Crappy stuff abound!_


	5. Chapter 4

Title: Sublime Oblivion

**Title:** Sublime Oblivion

**Author: **Metal Pandora

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Okage: Shadow King.

**Genre:** Comedy/Romance/Drama

**Rating:** T (for mild language, suggestive themes, and comic mischief.)

**Pairing:** Stan/Ari

**Summary: **Life simply became too dull without a certain redheaded slave to harass. Exploring new worlds is just not a job to be done alone. Post-game – Shounen-ai – Stan/Ari

_**Part I: Demon Days**_

_Chapter 4_

Stan rested idly against the wooden headboard of the bed, sighing as his gaze drifted to the redhead lying beside him. It'd been at least seven hours since Ari passed out and the moon was already high over the tiny town. Though he was infinitely bored out of his mind, Stan refused to leave the room, lest Ari wake without him there. Not to mention that Rosalyn had been checking in nearly every hour, on the hour, as if Stan was going to smother the boy in his sleep. Stan growled to himself; how he hated that impudent woman! Why couldn't she just remove herself from existence? Or at least stay far, far away from him and Ari.

Ari shifted slightly, drawing Stan's attention.

"Mmrr…what time is it…?" Ari mumbled out, muffled by the pillow his face now occupied.

"About midnight," Stan answered, sitting up to face the boy, "How does your wound feel?"

Ari turned his head to stare sleepily at Stan, "…what wound?"

Stan paused for a moment to wonder if Ari was still too out of it to feel pain or if the serum Rosalyn had given him had healed it up already. He turned the boy over gently to examine his shoulder wrappings.

"The one the fat-headed hero gave you when she skewered you on her great sword of lawful justice," He grumbled with heavy sarcasm. Unwrapping the bandage, Stan discovered that the wound had completely sealed up, leaving behind a noticeable dark scar. Ari yawned and stretched luxuriously, running a hand through his ruffled hair to smooth it.

"Rosalyn…? Oh yeah…I thought that was a dream," Ari fingered the scar, tracing the outline of it, checking if there was any pain. It was still a bit tender, but nothing like it had been hours ago.

"You okay to walk? The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Ari nodded, doing a few more stretches before hopping off the bed. He gathered his equipment and silently followed his master out the door. Out in the lobby, Stan made sure Rosalyn was nowhere to be found and proceeded into the cool night air. Even though a certain vampire evil king had been destroyed, nighttime in the Highlands still seemed supernaturally creepy.

"I'm guessing I won't get to tell Rosalyn thanks for the medicine," Ari followed closely behind Stan as they made their way to the long wooden bridge. He knew there was no way Stan wanted to deal with the hero at this point.

"Thank her? She's the one who ran you through in the first place. If anything, she should still be on her knees begging for your forgiveness," Stan spat harshly, obviously still upset, "In any case, I'd rather get out of this tiny world as soon as possible; preferably without a certain meddling hero on our tails."

"Ah, yes, Master Stan," Ari shrugged and smirked light-heartedly.

The two began the trek across the bridge, leaving the Highlands behind them. The boy gazed out over the rope handrails, staring in to the foggy void that surrounded them. Ari never knew exactly how high up the Highlands supposedly were, but the seeming lack of a horizon made it seem as if they were in another dimension altogether, with no sky or ground. It was both unnerving and breathtaking that a small slip could send one falling forever, into the void. Ari had been so deep in thought, he hadn't realized that Stan stopped walking and he ran right into the taller man's back.

"Oh, you _can't_ be serious!" Stan yelled in exasperation. It took Ari a moment to comprehend what exactly Stan had been talking about. A familiar figure stood next to the glowing portal of the stone circle.

"I knew this is where you were headed, Stanley. Did you really think you'd be able to slip away that easily?" Rosalyn spoke, obviously just as irritated as the blonde man.

"Listen, you filthy scorpion-woman, I'm in no mood for your half-baked hero shenanigans, so you'd be wise to step out of the way," Stan was clenching his fists until his knuckles were stone-white. Ari, recovering from his stumble, firmly grabbed Stan's right arm, as if hoping to anchor the wrathful demon man to the spot.

"Stan, please…" Ari mumbled, "I'd rather not have a repeat of earlier."

Upon Ari's quiet request, Stan relaxed slightly. Though he wasn't about to back down, he certainly didn't want to upset the boy or endanger him again. He sighed in vexation as he ran a hand through his hair; what should he do now? The only way he knew how to solve these kinds of problems was through violence. After all, such was the nature of an evil king. He couldn't fully understand his sudden fierce need to protect Ari, but yielded to it nonetheless.

Rosalyn placed a hand on her hip and huffed. As much as she wanted to teach the obnoxious evil king a lesson in humility, Ari was right. There was no reason to put any innocents at risk, especially her friends.

"Well, I'm not just going to step aside and let you kidnap Ari, you fake evil king," Rosalyn barked, knowing she was only instigating this escapade further. Stan noticeably bristled at the insult, but almost as instantly fell back into his usual confident smirk.

"Oh, really? Well then, why don't we have Ari decide for himself who he wants to go with?" Stan crossed his arms over his chest. The smirk fell from his face as he watched his slave casually walk over to where Rosalyn stood. _'W-what…?'_ he thought to himself, suddenly fearing the worst.

"Thank you, Rosalyn, for being such a great friend," Ari began, placing a hand on the hero's shoulder. Stan's face contorted in disbelief as he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Had Ari truly hated him all along? "I forgive you for what happened before; it was my fault anyway. I'm also grateful for the medicine you gave me, it helped a bunch," he continued. Rosalyn shot the surprise-stricken evil king a triumphant smirk, but returned to Ari with a warm smile. "I'm honored you're so adamant about my well-being…" Ari dropped his hand to his side and took a step back, "…but I want to go with Stan."

Both Stan and Rosalyn stood speechless. Now it was Ari's turn to smirk, knowing he'd caught them both off guard. It was really something they knew all along, but hearing it straight from Ari's mouth truly put it into perspective. Rosalyn regained her stature, casting a glare at Stan.

"…Well, be that as it may, Ari, I still cannot let _him_ simply pass through and corrupt another world. As a hero, it is my duty—" Rosalyn was cut off by Stan's indignant snort.

"Oh, come off it, woman! Don't you ever get tired of the goodie-two-shoes act? You should be glad I'm moving on to conquer another world; you can just stay here, safe and sound with your little hero friends." Stan moved closer to the stone circle.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you, idiot evil king!" Rosalyn snapped back. The two began bickering in the petty manner they always had, though this time, the only thing preventing them from mauling each other was their mutual respect for Ari. The redhead sighed, knowing they'd never give up, but deciding it was safe enough to turn his attention to the stone circle. Once a crumbled, useless mass of rock, it was now burning with life again.

The first thing he noticed was the size of the middle column. Standing at least twice the size of a normal stone circle, it seemed impossibly tall as it towered above. It was fluted and decorated at the very top in a vaguely Corinthian manner, while the stone itself had become a pearly alabaster, decorated in intricate symbols and glyphs. The whole thing seemed very out of place in the middle of a floating, grassy platform, Ari decided. It was strange though, after seeing and using all sorts of these strange portals, Ari had never seen one with a glow like this. It was of every color and yet, with no color at all. It made no sense, but the longer he stared at it, the more he felt like it was consuming him.

Something felt almost…wrong about this portal. Ari's instincts suddenly started screaming at him to turn tail and run away as fast as he could, but his body would not obey. Frozen in place, he just continued staring into the almost haunting light. Both the hero and the demon stopped in their verbal battle with one another after noticing the vacant stare on the boy's face.

Rosalyn called his name several times, but when there was no response, Stan grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him gently.

"Hey, c'mon! Snap out of it, Slave!" He gave Ari's cheek a light slap, relieved when life came back into his eyes.

"Wha…what happened?" Ari asked finally.

Stan huffed. "You tell me! As much as you space out, I'm surprised you haven't walked off a cliff or something yet."

Feeling a little embarrassed as he realized that he actually _did_ have a bad habit of zoning out, Ari shook his head and turned away from the eerie glow of the portal. Whatever strange feelings of fear he had before were gone now. "…ah…well, anyway, what do we do now, Master?"

"First of all, we have to ditch this dead-weight," Stan gestured casually to an enraged Rosalyn.

"Don't think you can just walk away, Stanley!" She pointed with renewed vigor; "It's about time we ended this now. I'm sorry about this, Ari, but I can't have my life brought to another stand-still because of him."

Confused, Ari watched as she raised her unsheathed sword, letting it gleam in the moonlight. Only moments later, a swarm of soldiers surrounded them. Part of the newfound hero army, Ari assumed. Where they had been hiding, he had no clue. It wasn't until two men came up behind him, each grabbing an arm, that Ari began to feel a twinge of alarm. It didn't take long for Stan to notice his slave's capture either, as he made a move toward the two soldiers. The flash of a silver blade at Ari's neck made him stop dead in his tracks.

"I hate to do this, Ari, but it's the only way. Whether you live or die is up to Stan now. So what will it be, evil king?" Rosalyn held her sword out. She hadn't planned on hurting Ari if it could be helped, as she was sure Stan wouldn't be that careless. It was not the most noble way of getting something done, but at least this way, the redhead would be kept from interfering and thus, away from injury.

If looks could kill, Rosalyn would have been maimed the most horribly brutal way imaginable. Stan's entire body radiated murder; how _dare_ she use his own slave against him like this. It wasn't the first time, of course, but back then, he'd been but a shadow, unable to do anything without the boy. Surely Rosalyn knew he didn't technically need him for anything at this point. He knew she could see that he did care about Ari, but was she really gambling with his life on such small evidence? Obviously, Stan would never let any harm come to the boy, but what did this woman know of his real feelings? She was either tremendously perceptive or tremendously stupid.

Gathering his wits once more, Stan spoke, "A hostage, hm? That's hardly an honorable move, _Hero_."

"And what does an evil king know of honor? Though it is truly despicable to threaten the life of an innocent, I will stoop to your level just this once if only for the sake of your defeat! Now fight me!" The hero adjusted her stance and prepared for a strike.

"Of course, we can't forget about coercion. My, my, you're well on your way down evil's path," Stan laughed, making no move to acknowledge the impending battle.

Ari could hardly believe the scene unfolding before him. It was like deja-vu, except this time if he or Stan made a wrong move, he'd be missing a very important body part. He struggled slightly, testing how serious his captors were. Their grip was solid and the blade remained steady as it hovered mere inches from his adam's apple, but there was no real retaliation; the soldiers remained stock-still. While not the strongest of his size, Ari was certainly no pushover either, thanks to their previous save-the-world incident. A bit of quick thinking produced a simple plan of escape. Stan had turned back to glance at him again and Ari sent him a discreet wink. The taller man stared for a moment before settling into a knowing grin.

At this point, Rosalyn had already begun her attack, though Stan did little more than evade and block. She screamed at him to fight her seriously, but the blonde demon simply shrugged and continued to stay on the defensive. He knew Ari had already come up with a plan of his own; all he had to do was wait for a signal.

'_This could either go perfectly, or I could end up with a severed jugular,'_ Ari thought to himself as he subtly moved his right foot behind one of the soldier's legs. Bracing himself on his other foot and using the soldier's grip as leverage, he rammed his knee as hard as he could into the back of the guy's knee. As expected, he yelped and folded like cheap card table, thankfully _not_ slashing Ari's throat on the way down. Quickly grabbing the dagger before the man could recover, he swiped at the other guard, grimacing as he felt the blade hit flesh. He didn't really want to hurt anyone, but wildly waving a dagger around was a pretty quick way to ward off pursuers. Besides, he'd only nicked the man's arm.

As soon as Stan saw the guard go down out of the corner of his eye, he launched an offensive attack, taking Rosalyn by complete surprise. A wave of pure dark energy sent her toppling into a group of equally surprised soldiers. The evil king wasted no time in retrieving Ari, plucking him from the ground much like he had done earlier that day. He knocked the soldiers back with another wave of force energy and ran for the portal. A quick spell before they disappeared caused the flame-like light of the circle to turn a deep purple. Ari's world went white before he could even react.

Once the two had warped, the light of the portal stretched and solidified into gigantic, jagged stalagmites. Stan had sealed the gate behind them. Already back on her feet, Rosalyn had witnessed the whole thing and slashed at the pointed structures in desperation. Finding that they were doing more damage to her sword than she was doing to them, she yelled in frustration.

"You haven't won yet, you wretched evil king!"

**To Be Continued...**

_**A/N:**__ Good lord, is anyone still reading this?? D: I am so sorry. I fail at fanfiction so hard._

_Well, anyway, I managed to come up with some semblance of a plot, so the story will probably take a more serious tone from here on out (and probably get really fucking weird and make no sense). Of course there will still be humor, just not pointless bouts of it like this entire story has been so far. AND! More Stan/Ari action to come, I promise! _

_A huge thank you to everyone who's still with me at this point!_

_ALSO. This was not beta'd. Like…AT ALL. So fuck all if there's tons errors, I'll fix them later._


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